1921 Plowing

Title	Parking lot of International Plowing Match Oxford County, 1921
Date	1921
Object Name	Print, Photographic
Catalog Number	1988.82.622
Description	Black and white photograph of a field of cars. Photo is taken from the top of a barn ramp with cars parked all around. There are trees scattered around the parked cars. On the left hand side there are some houses. On the left hand side of the picture there are some people walking. One person sitting on the ramp looking at the camera.
Provenance	Parking lot of International Plowing Match Oxford County, 1921. The following excerpt was taken from a newspaper clipping in 1951 that featured this photo: "One of the parking lots at the International Plowing Match held north of Woodstock in 1921 is shown in this fine picture belonging to James Burns, Second Ave., Woodstock. The cars in the background, Mr. Burns points out, are on what was his farm. Some of the horses and also the oxen were stabled in his barn. The Burns' farm was later sold to the Ontario Hospital."
Year Range from	1921
Year Range to	1921
Medium	Paper/Emulsion
Print size	35 x 28 cm
Copyright	Public Domain

 Excitement was high in Woodstock previous to the 1921 International Plowing match held in Oxford County, directly north of the city on the epileptic grounds.

One week before the IPM, plans were being made for an Oxford Plowmans Association. The matter was under discussion by Warden Johnston, Dr. Atkinson of Embro, and G.R.Green, district agriculture representative in his office at 13 Reeve St. (S.R. 11 Oct. 1921 pg3 col.5).

Nine years later the ag. office was moved to 16 Finkle St. above Rae’s printing office

(S.R. 7 Oct.1930 pg 1 col.1). The present ag office is located where the 1921 IPM was held. J.Lockie Wilson, superintendent of fairs, horticulture and ag. societies hailed the success of the 1921 IPM as the greatest show in Canada if not in N. America when he addressed the audience of the first West Oxford Plowmen’s banquet held in the Sweaburg Methodist Church, Tuesday evening 24 Oct.1922.

Mr.Wilson was always found wherever a plowing match was being conducted. He had just returned from the IPM of 1922 held in Lindsay, ON. He took the train to Petrolia on 25 Oct.  for the Lambton County match the following day.

The West Oxford Plowmen’s Association was organized by three farmer members of Sweaburg Methodist Church: Frank G.Murdoch, secretary; Stanley E. Allin, and James H. Bastedo, Sunday School Superintendent and Reeve of West Oxford.

Lockie Wilson was present to open the first event held at Lot 3 Conc. 3, farm of Stanton Lick on Tuesday 24 Oct. 1922 at 9 a.m.

The contest, under the auspices of the Young Men's Sunday School Class, Sweaburg, had about thirty contestants ranging from those who were competing at a plowing match for the first time to those who were professionals of the highest grade.

The Sentinel Review 25 Oct.1922 reported W. O. Grenzebach of East Zorra, who last year held the Ontario championship for the best plower of stubble in the province, was present at the West Oxford match winning the highest honours in four events: First in stubble plowing, open to all; best crown in stubble; he won the sod competition and best crown in sod plowing.

John Richardson of Oxford Centre outdistanced all competitors as the owner of the best plow team on the grounds. J. E. Miles of Norwich came second in this contest. 

The best team with equipment, open to all, was driven by Joseph Fitzpatrick. 

The sorrels driven by Albert Clarkson, who also won the retired farmers class of plowing in sod, came second. 

The judge of teams with equipment was Sheriff McGee. 

The prize for best team with equipment in the boys’ classes was driven by Robert Childs; the second prize was awarded to E. Millard.

Residents of Sweaburg offered prizes for the best plowing done by boys in the Young Men's Sunday School Class as follows:

• 1st Geo. G. Murdoch

• 2nd Vernon Cormack

• 3rd Leslie Curry

• 4th John Grant.

Boys 15 years of age and under: 

• 1st Leslie Curry, R.R. #1 Woodstock

• 2nd Petit Gray, R.R. #1 Beachville; 

• 3rd Robert Childs, Woodstock

• 4th Norman Millard, R.R.#5 Ingersoll 

Petit won the award for having the best crown.

 
 Boys, 19 years and under:

1st, Emerson Garfat, Sweaburg
2nd, John Grant,Sweaburg Road
3rd,Wilfred G.Hill,R.R.#5 ,Ingersoll
4th, Miles Service, Sweaburg

John Grant won the prize in this class for having the best crown.

 
Class 7, sod plowing, open to all, the winners were:

1st, W.O.Grenzebach, Hickson
2nd, J.Hargreaves,R.R.#5, Ingersoll
3rd, J.E.Miles, Norwich
4th, John Richardson, Oxford Centre

 
In plowing there is a wide difference between the work of the amateur and that of the professional plowman. The beginner has a long distance to travel in order to reach a Canadian championship.

 
W.C.Barrie,of Galt,judged the plowing at the match.

 
Mayor Paul, of  Woodstock was chairman at the banquet.He introduced J.Lockie Wilson paying tribute to the great interest he had shown in coming to the plowing match under great difficulties.

 
Mr.Wilson was in fine speaking form and gave a magnificent address.He urged the West Oxford plowmen to organize an association and to join the Ontario Association as they would then be entitled to receive a substantial government grant. No better way of spending money ,he said,than encouraging such contests to maintain their interest, about keeping boys and girls on the farm,and improving their conditions.He urged the boys to learn how to plow well,how to hitch their horses properly so as to get the best plowing.

 
Mr.Wilson gave an explanation for the rush of the farm boys and girls to the cities.He said that in pioneer days their forefathers had performed wonderful deeds of endurance and had become prematurely aged and broken because of the hard conditions under which they worked.They did not wish to see their sons and daughters waste their strength and their lives in the same way and urged them not to be farmers and farmers wives. Conditions are changed now, he said,with beautiful farms cleared and producing,and splendid buildings,it was the duty of the young men on the farms to become good farmers and leave things  behind them better than they were when they came into them. The life of a farmer was a life of service,he said,and that counted for more than anything else,and brought the reward of "Well done,good and faithful servant"

 
During the evening musical and vocal renditions were rendered by the Service Brothers orchestra. Before proceedings closed, the West Oxford Church Ladies were thanked for the splendid manner in which they had catered to the wants of  the inner man by providing so admirable a chicken supper. 

1923

WEST OXFORD PLOWING MATCH

The second annual Plowing Match of the West Oxford Branch of the

Ontario Plowman's Association will be held on the farm of Stanley E. 

Allin, one mile north and half mile east of Folden's, on Oct. 24th. The 

directors have spared no pains this year to make this year's match a

great success,and with the generous assistance of the merchants of

Woodstock and Ingersoll they are able to offer over $300 in prizes, 

and some keen contests are assured. Mr. Allin's farm is centrally 

located and the fields to be plowed will give the plowmen, every 

chance to do good work. The closing feature of this match will be a 

banquet put on by the ladies of Folden's, and a good program is pro-vided. Last year's match was a great success and was the first ever held in West  Oxford.

   
The secretary, F.G. Murdoch, will be pleased to supply interested  

parties with full information. Address,R.R. 1, Woodstock, Phone,294

ring 2-1.

   

Notice of the 2nd  Annual West Oxford match appeared in the Oct. 17th Wednesday edition of the Sentinel Review. It was a two day event;-sod plowing was held on Thursday 25th Oct. 1923. Winners and placings were listed in Fridays edition 26th Oct. 1923.  

 
The comfort and convenience of the plowmen and visitors were well provided for in a large tent where lunch and coffee were served.

The courtesy and attention shown to the visitors by the officers and directors was marked and very much appreciated by the crowds of visitors composed of a large sprinkling of the fair sex,who manifested not a little interest in the day's proceedings. J.H. Bastedo is the president of the association and F.G. Murdoch is the secretary. The management  received hearty congratulations on the decided success which attended their efforts for the year  1923.

Skilled  Competitors

 
The plowmen who contested the various events were certainly expert and skilful workmen, who need not be ashamed of the quality of the work done. W.O. Grenzebach of Hickson, who won the open events, both in stubble plowing and in sod, was characterized by one of the judges as the foremost plowman in Ontario. This was surely a compliment of which any man might justly feel proud. Mr. Grenzebach has won a sufficient number of prizes in provincial plowing match contests and in others to justify the compliment. W.C. Barrie of Galt, and James McLean of Richmond Hill, were the expert judges who did the judging to the satisfaction of all concerned.

                    

Special Awards

The special awards made aroused no small amount of interest. There was a prize given for the youngest plowman in the field. This went to Ed Lossing, who was not more than 13 or 14 years of age. The prize for the oldest plowman was won by John Park of Woodstock, who also won second place in the class for retired farmers. Mr. Park in his work, displayed all the vitality and endurance of a youngster in his teens, though he was 78 years of age. He was a prize plowman in the olden days, 40 or 50 years previously.

 
W.O. Grenzebach won first for the best crown and also was first for the best finish.

The special prize for the best plow team in the field was awarded to Pettit Gray. John Richardson, Oxford Centre,was second. The highest award for best team and equipment, driven by owner or son, went to Gordon Masson. The second place was awarded to Russel Masson. A complete list of all the prize winners in eleven classes follows:

                               
Stubble  Plowing

   
Class1, Boys 15 and under-- 1  Ed Lossing,  2  Roy Barrett.

Class 2, Boys 19 and under-- 1 Leslie Curry 2  Pettit Gray.
Class 3,  open to all--- W.O. Grenzebach, Hickson, 2 John Hargreaves, Ingersoll, 3 John Richardson, Oxford Centre. 

Class 4, open to West Oxford--1 Gordon Masson, 2 Charles Williams, 3 Albert Batten, 4 A.D. Robinson.

                               
Sod  Plowing

Class 3, boys 19 and under-- 1 Pettit Gray, 2 Leslie Curry.

Class 5, open to West Oxford-- A.D. Robinson, 2 Charles Williams, 3 Gordon Masson,    

4 Harry Blackman.

Class 6, open to West Oxford, who have not previously won a prize-- 1 George Murdoch, 2 Fred Sharpe.

Class 8 , open to all-- 1 W.O. Grenzebach, 2 John Hargreaves, 3 John Richardson.

Class 9, single riding plow-- 1 W.E. Barnett.

Class 10, retired farmers-- 1 J.H. Bastedo, 2 John Park.

Class 11,open to those who have never won a prize in any previous match-- 1 Albert Batten, 2 Holly Wilson, 3 William Lossing, 4 George Hedges.

                       
Banquet  in Evening

At the banquet in Folden's church, J.H. Bastedo was chairman and expressed appreciation to all directors who helped to make the second West Oxford match even better than the first. James McLean,of Richmond Hill, and W.C.Barrie, of Galt, directors of the OPA, were the chief speakers, and they complimented the Oxford County plowmen on the excellence of their work in the local matches and also at the provincial plowing match.

 
Contestants wanting to further hone their skills atttended the North Norwich match held on Frank Fidlin farm east of Norwich 31st Oct. 1923. In Class 1--open to all, prize money was $15,$10, and $5. Winners, John Richardson, John Hargreaves, A.D. Robinson.